Optimised evaluation of environmental impact using homegrown wood fibre materials in housing construction

Purpose The Scottish Government promotes the use of homegrown, wood fibre-rich products in the construction industry as a key feature of a wider sustainability strategy that aims to decarbonise the sector. This strategy also promotes the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a means to digitalise the built environment, enabling key metrics to be visualised, evaluated and continually monitored. This study, which involved the creation of a BIM optioneering tool to evaluate the impact of specifying homegrown, wood fibre-rich products in the design and construction of housing is therefore intended to complement this national strategy. Design/methodology/approach This paper investigates the environmental benefits of BIM in designing a low-rise residential dwelling meeting the Scottish Building Standards’ Bronze Sustainability Standard. A BIM tool was developed to assess the structural, thermal and environmental aspects of various construction products and assemblies. Two house designs were created: a benchmark (V1) and an alternative using wood fibre-rich products (V2). Both versions were analysed using imported (V1a, V2a) and locally sourced (V1b, V2b) wood fibre-rich materials. This research demonstrates the potential of BIM to optimise material selection and improve the environmental performance of residential buildings. Findings The research demonstrated that opting for a wood fibre-rich build-up (V2b) resulted in greater total carbon sequestration within the superstructure, shifting from −4,315 kg/CO2eq to −13,802 kg/CO2eq. This translates to a 220% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) relative to the benchmark build-up incorporating imported wood fibre-rich products (V1a). These findings emphasise the potential of digital tools to optimise the selection of construction details and materials, focusing on minimising environmental impact without compromising performance. Originality/value This study enabled the following insights to be gained: (1) The environmental impact of specifying a wood fibre-rich alternative to the industry-standard benchmark, and (2) Evaluation of the environmental impacts of specifying homegrown, wood fibre-rich products in both versions. The results from this study demonstrate that specifying homegrown, wood fibre-rich products led to significant carbon savings that help the housing construction industry recognise the added benefits alongside achieving operation energy and carbon commitments.